1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer network service access management and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing collaborative claim verification using an identity management system to verify identity claims.
2. Description of the Related Art
In identity management systems used to verify identity claims of computer network users, there are certain types of identity claims that are difficult to verify for certain parties through normal identity verification channels. For example, verifying the age of a minor is generally difficult. While for adults, verification of age is often a tractable problem that can be tied to government identification or credit information; for minors, there is generally no public database that will provide identification and age verification for children under the age of 16. Yet, age verification is as critical for children as for adults when interacting with services provided via the Internet. Many access control systems, content filters, and parental control systems attempt (or would like) to use age as a determining factor in providing services through the Internet. Many service providers on the Internet state that children under a certain age are not permitted to utilize their services, yet there is no mechanism for verifying a user's age when the user requests a service.
Current systems, at best, require that there be a registered adult account that provisions an account for a minor. While provisioning the account, the adult can specify the age or grouping of information within the minor account. The problem is that it is easy for an adult to provision a fake minor account to gain access sites designed for child interaction. While systems that require an adult to register initially using some trackable identification, e.g., a credit card, provide a partial solution, the solution is not ideal. Some systems rely purely on self-credentialing, i.e., allowing the user to specify their own age and, in essence, self-verify their own information. Clearly, this is a poor solution.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an identification management system that provides collaborative claim verification to ensure that identity information can be verified.